These savory waffles with cheddar and chives work equally well for breakfast, brunch or dinner. Top with a fried egg and a dollop of sour cream for a truly excellent meal.
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Growing up, we were team pancakes and didn’t own a waffle iron. I never minded. I didn’t give it much thought until about a year ago, when people were suddenly waffling everything from mac and cheese to pizza. Americans can ruin anything, right? And yet still make you kinda desperately want the thing we ruined? It’s a barf-emoji-face/heart-eyes-emoji face vicious cycle.
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I don’t have the time or the emotional energy to try to fix that shit right now.
But I did get a waffle iron.
And of course, being a true lover of umami, I’m sharing a savory waffles recipe before a sweet one. Cheddar, chives, cornmeal, buttermilk. Go ahead and try to argue with that.
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My daughter tried to argue with it, actually. She prefers whipped cream and syrup and vanilla-scented sweetness. Last night, when I told the girls what I planned to make for dinner, she said, “Those aren’t exactly my favorite waffles.”
So I said, “I bet they’re your favorite waffles that I’m going to make tonight.”
Cashed in the Mom card. Suck it, sweet waffles. (And basically everything today, can you tell?)
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Anyhoo.
The brilliant crispness of these waffles (which emerges after a quick stint in a low oven) is due to the cornstarch. I first learned this trick from Donna Hay and eventually developed this recipe with some heavy adaptations from Pamela Anderson’s waffles in Fine Cooking. (No, not that Pamela Anderson. This one’s much more fabulous.)
Okay. I’m gonna leave it at that, believe it or not. Talk to you soon.
Carolyn xx
Savory Waffles with Cheddar and Chives
It's a true testament to my umami love that these savory waffles are the first waffle recipe I've ever posted. They make a wonderful breakfast or brunch but are equally good for dinner. Top each serving with a fried egg and serve with a dollop of sour cream if you like. This recipe makes nine waffles in my waffle iron, which takes 1/2 cup batter per waffle, but your mileage may vary.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- A few good grinds black pepper
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 3 ounces extra-sharp cheddar, shredded
- 1/3 cup minced fresh chives
Instructions
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, corn meal, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper.
In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs. Pour into bowl with dry ingredients and mix gently but thoroughly. Pour in the melted butter and stir to incorporate. Then stir in the cheddar and chives.
Preheat oven to 200°F with a rack in the center. Preheat waffle iron to medium or medium-dark setting. (Waffle irons vary tremendously, so you may have to experiment a little.) Pour in as much batter as your waffle iron's instructions recommend and cook until golden. Gently remove each waffle from iron and place directly on oven rack. The waffles will still be slightly soft when they come out of the iron but will crisp up on the outside and stay tender on the inside while they rest in the oven.
When all waffles are cooked and have had a couple of minutes in the oven, serve with fried eggs on top and a dollop of sour cream if you like.
